Yordan Álvarez also plays: his bat reaches the National Series

The television broadcast of the game Industriales versus Las Tunas captured an unusual yet significant image: one of the bats used by the Leñadores had been gifted by the star slugger from Tuner of the Houston Astros, Yordan Álvarez, one of the best hitters in the world.

The detail, shared and highlighted by journalist Yasel Porto on his social media, did not go unnoticed. In a championship marked by resource shortages, the massive exodus of players, and the profound shortcomings of Cuban sports, the action of an MLB elite player sending equipment to his former province has become a valuable show of support, identity, and belonging.

Yordan is not the only one. Other Cuban stars in Major League Baseball —Aroldis Chapman, the Gurriel brothers, Luis Robert, José Abreu, Yasiel Puig, among many others— have also contributed at various times with donations of gloves, spikes, bats, uniforms or equipment, often quietly and without the official promotion of the regime.

Real support for Cuban baseball… without the need to say "yes" to Team Cuba

The presence of Yordan Álvarez's bat on the bench in Tunero reopened a debate among fans: What is the true way to support Cuban baseball?

The communicator sums it up like this: "There are many ways to show love for your people."

At a time when the regime is trying to present participation in the Cuba team for the WBC as the only possible "patriotic gesture," these acts disprove that narrative.

Many emigrated baseball players —some even marginalized or officially censored— continue to support their provinces, their coaches, local academies, and young athletes starting in the sport, even if they have no ties to the Cuban Federation.

A gesture that speaks more than a speech

The mere fact that a bat from Yordan Álvarez appears in the National Series says much more than any political statement.

In a country where athletes train with worn-out tools and incomplete equipment, a professional bat can make the difference between competing or not competing.

And at the same time, it demonstrates something essential: The Cuban talent that succeeds outside the island has not severed its ties with baseball or its people, even though many will never again wear an official Cuba team uniform.

Supporting, helping, and sustaining local baseball is also a form of belonging, even if the regime never acknowledges it.